The present invention relates to feeders for feeding sheet like articles into processing machines.
Modern office equipment includes numerous machines which process sheet like items such as paper sheets, envelopes and the like. Examples of such sheet processing machines include photocopiers, printers associated with computers and optical character recognition devices. The sheet processing machine usually incorporates a magazine or reservoir for the sheetlike articles, and the machine ordinarily takes sheets in sequence from the magazine. Many of these processing machines also include a manual feed port and an item intake device associated with the port for taking items inserted via the port and passing such items into the internal paper path of the processing machine. Manual feed ports of this type ordinarily are used to supply sheetlike items which are needed only occasionally or items which, because of their physical configuration, cannot be processed by the internal mechanism associated with the magazine. Thus, postcards, envelopes or special letterhead may be inserted into the manual feed port of a computer printer or copier when required.
Although manual feed ports of this nature provide a useful adjunct to operation of the various machines, there are many instances in which use of the manual feed port is inconvenient. Where a secretary is printing ordinary business letters with a typical word processing computer and printer, the secretary must stop work at the keyboard to insert an envelope into the manual feed port of the printer after each letter. The secretary thus loses considerable time and productivity. There has accordingly been a substantial need heretofore for apparatus which can automatically perform the function of inserting envelopes into the manual feed port when required. There are similar needs for devices to automatically insert other sheet like items into similar manual feed ports on other office machines. However, no truly satisfactory automated feeder has been available heretofore for this purpose.
There are considerable difficulties in automating this function. The intake device within the processing machine is arranged to accept an item only when the intake device is actuated by a signal from the control unit of the machine, so as to synchronize the advance of the manually fed item with operation of the machine. Therefore, operation of an automatic feeder associated with the manual feed port must be synchronized with actuation of the intake device of the processing machine. However, a feeder which requires disassembly or modification of the processing machine, or connection to any internal components of the processing machine during installation would be undesirable at best and unacceptable in most office installations. Such a feeder would require the services of a skilled technician for installation, and the disassembly or connection required may void the manufacturer's warranty on the processing machine.
Also, each item passing into the processing machine item must be oriented so that an edge of the item is parallel to the direction of motion within the machine. The intake device incorporated in the processing machine arranged to accept items slightly out of orientation and guide each item to the appropriate predetermined orientation as the item passes downstream into the machine. This system works well for items which are inserted into the feed port manually, and which are therefore free for reorientation by the intake device. However, these intake devices are not well suited to accept items from an automated feed device upstream of the manual port. Typical automated feed devices control the orientation of the item with respect to the feed device, so that the item cannot be oriented by the intake device.
Moreover, any feeder for use with the manual feed port must reliably advance items into the feed port when required, and should be capable of feeding items in quick succession so that the feeder does not delay operation of the processing machine. The feeder desirably should be inexpensive and reliable.
No truly satisfactory feeder meeting these conditions has been available heretofore, and there have accordingly been substantial unmet needs for such a feeder.